How did an Irish joint come to serve some of the best Corned Beef in town?

Jewish Deli, Irish Style!

What is a deli? Jewish immigrants took over the small German cafes that had sprouted up in Manhattan. They served pickled cabbage (kraut), smoked sausage, meatloaf, rye bread, spicy mustard, pickled herring…all things popular in Germany with their own twist. They found that they could support their families, work together, and often live above the deli….it became a Jewish thing. Shortly afterwards, jewish owned meat companies (Snani, Sabre, Hebrew) began offering Jewish families the start up capital and assistance with the lease deposit if they agreed to see their products. This allowed Delis to expand rapidly, all across the United States.

How do we make a very Jewish thing Irish? We use Brown Bread and Soda Bread, use Corned Beef instead of Pastrami, make Irish style soups instead of just Matza ball or chicken based soups.

Many aspect are the same: the friendliness, the cleanliness, the comfort of our food, the limited menu, sparseness of decoration. Essentially Deli food and Irish food are peasant food. There is a sort of alchemy that goes with both food styles…take a cut of beef that is tough and cheap, add time, love, expertise and more time and you end up with something valuable.

More recently, Sean bought the corned beef business from Brooklyn native and longtime pal, Mike Vitow. Mike grew up in the Jewish delis of Brooklyn and Manhattan, and is Seán’s reference for all things Jewish and Deli.

Mike Vitows Corned Beef is the stuff of legends often getting compared to that which is offered at the Carnegie Deli in New York and Schwartz’s in Montreal. As a native New Yorker MIke’s product is strictly hands on, non injected, tender and flavourful. His briskets are cured in barrels and turned every few days for a two-week period before they are cooked.